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So called 'Deep Linking' Illegal??

Say you post a scrappy one-man-band Web site on the pros and cons of pet sweaters. Like any good Webmaster, you add links to pages on outfitting pooches in ponchos so people can track down additional information--a move that captures the essence of the Web.
Imagine your surprise, then, when you receive a letter from one of the sites you directed people to, which says posting such links is illegal without first seeking written permission.

Similar scenarios are happening around the globe as a growing number of organizations and publishers crack down on deep linking, or the practice of sending people to pages other than a home page.

Publications such as The Dallas Morning News have claimed that deep linking creates a host of problems, including violating copyrights, depriving them of ad dollars, redirecting traffic, and generally confusing Web surfers.

Attempts to control traffic and site navigations through deep-linking bans are occurring outside the United States as well. A court in Copenhagen, Denmark, is set to rule Friday in a case that pits the Danish Newspaper Publishers' Association against Newsbooster, an online news aggregator fighting to link to stories in the association's publications.

Critics say such clampdowns could threaten the very nature of the Web.

[...]

More at the link above.

My question to you all: Good idea, bad idea, or simply the byproduct of crappy webdesign?

My take on it is this: Many many sites are now ASP or PHP based, and both ASP and PHP have simple methods by which you can check the Referrer (the document linked FROM) to see if it is within your domain(s), and based on that, display the page, or forward you to their main page.

Personally, I see no reason at all why 'Deep Linking' is necessarily a bad thing, or how it can be considered illegal. This is information that you are intentionally putting out on the Internet for public consumption. Any page you can get at without having to enter a password first is within the public domain. I happen to believe that the idiots who believe they understand the Nature of the 'net and happen to be CEOs of large businesses will try and use the courts to pass more insane and retarded laws that violate the very essence of what the Web is.

This is I think unfortunately going to lead to the creation of another stupid law or Act (apart from the DMCA), created by lawyers who understand nothing of technology and will be so vague that you could classify moving your mouse as a violation of it. This is certainly getting ridiculous, and I wish some technical people would speak up on the matter.

Chris Shepherd
The Nelson-Shepherd cutoff: The point at which you realise someone is an idiot while trying to help them.
\"Well as far as the spelling, I speak fluently both your native languages. Do you even can try spell mine ?\" -- Failed Insult
Is your whole family retarded, or did they just catch it from you?

Yeah, it's better for all if you link to a page, rather than give instructions to navigate another site, which may change it's layout. The other site still gets hits and will have the company's menu layout and ads in it, the required info's just reached quicker.

The feeling that it is illegal is complete crap. I deep-link often to highlight various things. hell you deep-link all the time on a forums site. Its the way of the world. Another example of coporate power

in my very bias opinion, if someone puts a page of info on the net, its public information.

<rant>
its not enough that they've ruined a means of connecting people around the world by turning it into a fishing ground for customer data-bases and spam, now they want our governments to make it so we MUST be subjected to every piece of bullshit they can possibly throw at us.

what's next, banning search engins if their links don't point to the main page? you can bet thats where this is going.
</rant>

if its on the net and and accessable by normal means it belongs to everyone.

Bukhari:V3B48N826 “The Prophet said, ‘Isn’t the witness of a woman equal to half of that of a man?’ The women said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘This is because of the deficiency of a woman’s mind.’”

The other side of the coin

This isn't my opinion and I'm all for deep linking but I can see where they are comming from. Some sites will link you to another site but copy over the banners of the site that they linked to or put the site in some lame frames. This does hurt the profits of the site that relys on banners and ad clicking for money.

Alternate realities celebrate reality. If you cant handle the reality your in, then you wont be able to handle the one your attempting to escape to.

If this is the case then I simply ask one thing. Without linking how would anyone person, system find them, their ads or what ever? Link is a pointer to info nothing more or less just cause your a dot com they want everyone to know their addy, or their words. A dot com assult upon the root of the very web. We can only see the web as a dot com says legeally we can? Ok two quesions shoot me!

I believe that one of the characteristics of the human race - possibly the one that is primarily responsible for its course of evolution - is that it has grown by creatively responding to failure.- Glen Seaborg

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